Can You Touch the Sky
by AdmiralKathryn
Summary: This is a cute story that ponders on the age old problem - kids that ask too many questions:-)


Disclaimer: Yep! You guessed it. Voyager, its crew, and all other subsidies belong to Paramount. The quote "for the world is hollow and I have touched the sky" comes from the Original Series episode For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky.  
  
Can You Touch the Sky?  
  
Why are all little kids full of questions? Doesn't that question run through everyone's head at one point or another? Well this day it was running through anyone's head that encountered Naomi Wildeman. Don't get the crew wrong, they all love Naomi, but sometimes….  
  
"Chakotay. Why do you have that tattoo on your head?" asked Naomi.  
  
"Well, umm…. I have it there because when my father died, I felt very sad so I got it to remember him by," good save Chakotay he thought to himself. He really didn't want to get into a detailed story of his past with someone too young to understand the things he did and why he did them.  
  
"Neelix, why do you always cook yucky vegetables?"  
  
"They aren't yucky Naomi. They are full of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs."  
  
But that day, Naomi asked the hardest question of all to Captain Janeway. And because of the nature of the question, it made it very difficult to answer.  
  
"Captain, can you touch the sky?"  
  
Well, the captain couldn't answer the question so Naomi skipped off to the Tactical/Security officer Tuvok who was a Vulcan and rarely ever answered a question illogically.  
  
"Tuvok, can you touch the sky?"  
  
"No. It is physically impossible. But, I suggest that you think about this quote from an alien race that Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise once said. It was 'for the world is hollow and I have touched the sky'."  
  
Naomi walked to the Astrometrics lab to visit her friend Seven of Nine. Seven was a former Borg drone and although some people aboard Voyager get easily frustrated and confused having a Vulcan and Borg on the ship, Naomi found it comforting to be able to go see Seven whenever she wanted to because although Seven did talk only logic and relevance, she listens quite well.  
  
"Seven? Are you here?"  
  
The lights were low in Astrometrics and Naomi could barely see. Moments later, a woman's figure appeared in front of Naomi. It was Seven.  
  
"Naomi Wildman. It is good to see you."  
  
"It is good to see you too, but Seven?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I have a couple of questions for you. One is can you touch the sky, and the second is what does the quote 'for the world is hollow and I have touched the sky' mean?"  
  
"No. I regret to say that I cannot touch the sky. But that question is irrelevent. As to your second question, I cannot tell you. You have to find out for yourself."  
  
"Okay, thanks Seven," she said a little confused as to why no one can tell her.  
  
On her way back to her quarters, she saw Ensign Paris walking down the hallway. She was hungry and he was headed to the mess hall to get some food. She asked if she could join him. At first he was reluctant because he was meeting B'Elanna there, but she gave him the cute little girl look and he couldn't say no, so he let her go with him.  
  
When they walked into the mess hall, Tom saw B'Elanna at the rear of the hall and walked over to her. She gave him a questioning look when she saw Naomi with Tom, but she understood why when Tom began to explain.  
  
"Well B'Elanna, when I was on the way to the mess hall, I ran into Naomi who was hungry and asked if she could come along. The look in her eyes did it B'Elanna. You should have seen it. It would've even made 'ol pointy ears go soft," he was referring to Tuvok at that remark. He enjoyed making fun of the Vulcan's ears form time to time. Well, make that 26:7.  
  
"Oh alright. Here Naomi, I'll replicate a chocolate bar for you."  
  
"Thanks B'Elanna," she knew that B'Elanna was in a good mood if she was using her rations for anyone. It was also a great compliment to even be able to talk to the half Klingon-half human woman who was on the senior staff.  
  
As she nibbled the chocolate, Captain Janeway walked in to get a cup of none other than her favorite drink, coffee. Naomi didn't see but Janeway mouthed to Paris:  
  
"You are very brave Mr. Paris."  
  
He followed the captain out and he asked her what she meant by that last remark. She told him that Naomi had been asking every single crewmember questions for the last week and a half. She was quite surprised that Naomi hadn't asked Tom or B'Elanna any questions yet. That changed soon though for at that moment Naomi was asking B'Elanna what the quote meant. B'Elanna wouldn't answer, she, like Seven, told her that she needed to find the meaning of it herself. It was frustrating for little Naomi.  
  
She walked back to her quarters and sat on her bed. She closed her eyes and began a meditative technique that Tuvok had taught her. When she had cleared her mind of everything it became clear to her. For the world is hollow and I have touched the sky. It didn't really mean anything. It was an empty quote for her, but she now found the answer to the question that she had plagued everyone with. Can you touch the sky? The answer is simple. Yes! Every single person on Voyager had touched the sky. Their star trek across the Delta Quadrant proved it. They had reached deep inside of themselves and touched their hearts with the things that they loved most. The stars, exploration and each other. Naomi now knew the answer to the question and she was so happy that she ran to the bridge and began saying excitedly, "Captain! Captain!"  
  
Captain Janeway thought Naomi was cute but she couldn't have her running onto the bridge. "Why don't we go into my ready room Miss Wildeman."  
  
So they walked into the ready room and Naomi began explaining what she had just found out.  
  
"Captain Janeway, I know the answer to my question 'can you touch the sky'. The answer is yes! We can and we have. We are making this star trek across the Delta Quadrant and because we're doing it together we have come closer to each other than we ever could have. We have reached deep inside of ourselves and found the things we love most, the stars, exploration and each other. That is the answer."  
  
Naomi looked at Captain Janeway and smiled. She now knew that that was the correct answer because Captain Janeway had something in her eyes that Naomi had never seen before. Tears. 


End file.
